


The Other Eight

by ANobleCompanion



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Food, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Miscommunication, food spiking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-15
Updated: 2014-02-15
Packaged: 2018-01-12 10:34:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1185248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ANobleCompanion/pseuds/ANobleCompanion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean finds some unknown ingredients in the pantry and decides to use them in his cooking.  The effects on Cas are unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Other Eight

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Leviantine to thatwinchester-girl!

Dean found it in the back of the bunker’s deep pantry, right above the herbs.  The pantry in the bunker wasn’t exactly typical.  It had all the standard stuff for cooking a meal of course. Fortunately it was stocked with canned foods intended to last for a while. If it had contained anything perishable, Sam and Dean would probably have needed to declare the whole thing a biohazard, considering how long it had sat unattended.  But in addition to that, there was a whole portion dedicated to what were clearly ingredients for spells, potions, and charm making.  Most of the items on these shelves were pretty standard: feverfew, wormwood, there was even a decent stock of frankincense.

But there was also a shelf for ingredients that had already been mixed together for specific purposes - rather like a dry rub or marinade for a steak.  In this case, the shelf of items in question was labeled “Ai Potions.”  What the hell was an ai potion anyway? There were nine of them and Dean leaned forward to examine each one more closely. All of the containers clearly held different formulas; five were liquid, three were granules of some kind, rather like sugar or salt, and one was a very fine powder.  

He picked up the powdery one and examined it more closely.  The bottle was clear glass, cylindrical with a top that opened to reveal small holes to shake out the contents inside.  A small label indicated that it was “Ai #5.”  

Cautiously, Dean lifted the bottle closer to his face and gave it a light sniff.  He was immediately assailed with three distinct aromas - apple pie, well worn leather, and something underneath he couldn’t quite place, though it simultaneously reminded him of lightning and the atmosphere just before a heavy rain.  Not bad.

He picked up the first one and narrowed his eyes.  This one was one of the liquids.  It looked rather inconspicuous, clear and, upon inspection, odorless.  They hadn’t actually run across anything dangerous in the pantry yet.  Anything that might harm them was clearly and meticulously labeled in the storage room.  More likely than not, whatever these were, they would be innocuous, but maybe they’d add a little something to his cooking.  

Sam was out on a solo hunt.  They’d finally gotten back on even footing, but both brothers had agreed to start trying to hunt away from each other every now and then to maintain space and perspective.  So it was just Dean and Cas in the bunker.  Shrugging, Dean took the first bottle with him back out to the kitchen.  He’d add it to the sauce he was making for the lasagna he planned for dinner.  

That night, he sat the lasagna on the table and dished up some for both himself and Cas.  He sat down a plate in front of the angel before digging into his own with relish.  Dean savored the first bite.  Whatever was in that potion seemed to have done the trick.  This was a _damn_ good lasagna.  He was already imagining himself eating a second slice and wasn’t even halfway through his first.  He looked up to check Cas’s reaction.  

What he saw made his jaw drop.

“Uh, Cas?” he asked hesitantly.

“Mmmphfean?” Cas asked around an _enormous_ mouthful of food.  His eyes were huge and he was eyeing the dish with something _more_ than mere hunger in his eyes.

“I take it you like dinner?”

Cas swallowed

“This is very good, Dean.  I've never had lasagna before.  It makes me _very_ happy.”  

“Uh, I’m glad, man.” Dean felt a shock of alarm fissure down his spine.  He knew Cas didn’t technically need to eat anymore, but he seemed to have acquired the taste for food.  Despite that, the angel always ate in moderation and was pretty picky about the foods he indulged in.  Dean hadn’t seen him eat like this since…

“Shit,” he said under his breath before putting his fork down.  

Castiel didn’t seem to notice as he just pulled the whole dish towards him and began digging in, not bothering to transfer it to his plate first.  

“Uh, Cas? Are you feeling ok?”

Cas didn’t even pause to look up at Dean.  “Mmphfine.  Dean, I truly love this lasagna.”  

After dinner, Dean took bottle from the pantry and added a label underneath

 

_For picky eaters, seems to strengthen with age, use with extreme caution._

 

Then he went to the fridge and grabbed himself a slice of pie since he hadn’t really eaten dinner himself.  

 

* * *

 

A week later, Dean was making cookies.  Specifically sugar cookies.  Sam was due back from his hunt the next day and if there was one weakness his health nut, salad-loving brother had, it was Dean’s sugar cookies.  Problem was, Dean was out of sprinkles.  So into the pantry he went.  

He looked high and low, but there weren’t any sprinkles to be found - until he reached the back section.  Once again, Dean found himself facing the nine ai potions.  The second one just happened to be made up of blue granules that looked shockingly similar to your standard sugar sprinkles.  Dean had determined that the effects of whatever the potion was were short lived and hadn’t done more than give Cas a voracious appetite - and an added appreciation for Dean’s cooking.  

Shrugging, he grabbed the second container and proceeded to sprinkle the mix on top of his cookies.

Once they were baked and set out on cooling racks, Dean headed back to the shower room to clean himself up.  

He walked back into the kitchen about fifteen minutes later and spotted Cas munching on a cookie.  He eyed the angel warily, trying to see if this new potion affected him the same way the first had.  First glance told him there were at least still cookies left and it looked like Cas was in no immediate hurry to finish the one he was munching on.  

When Cas looked up and saw him, his whole face lit up like a lamp in a dark room.  The immediate change was almost shocking especially since he couldn’t remember the last time Dean had seen Cas that happy - if ever.  

“Dean! You’re here!”

Dean chuckled and raised an eyebrow, “Yeah, man.  Been here all morning.”

Cas just grinned at him happily and watched him as he moved around the kitchen.  At first it was amusing, and it wasn’t like Dean wasn’t used to Cas’s staring.  But as the day wore on, it was starting to get on Dean’s nerves.  Cas followed Dean _everywhere_ , like he was his shadow or something.  And the look in Cas’s eyes when he watched Dean was nothing short of pure adoration.  When Dean firmly told Cas that _no_ , he could _not_ follow Dean into the bathroom, Cas gave Dean a hurt look not unlike the one Sam had mastered at age two.  Damn puppy dog eyes.  

After Dean had finally convinced Cas to leave him alone for a bit, he walked back into the kitchen and dumped the rest of the cookies.  No _way_ was he giving those to Sammy.  It was bad enough with one person following him everywhere.  

He walked into the pantry and found the second bottle, adding beneath the original label:

 

_Makes people clingy.  Avoid if you value your privacy!_

 

 

* * *

 

Over the next week, Dean became bizarrely fascinated with the effects of the various potions.  All of them seemed to wear off within about twelve hours and Cas never seemed to suspect anything or recognize any changes in his behavior.  While some of the reactions were annoying, Dean knew they wouldn’t be permanent and for the most part they were downright funny.  

Sam might have shot a few odd looks in Cas’s direction, but since Dean hadn’t told him what he was doing, he never questioned it.  Dean also made sure never to give one of the potion laced goodies to his brother.  

Soon, all but two of the labels had additional notations under them.

 

_#3 Causes extreme shyness and blushing.  Makes conversation difficult_

 

_#4 Source of all chick flicks.  AVOID AT ALL COSTS_

 

_#5 Turns person into giant flirt.  Keep this one for later_

 

_#6 Makes eater very handsy, might be useful on occasion_

 

_#7 Causes extreme jealousy, do not use under any circumstance_

 

By the time Dean reached the eighth potion, he wasn’t really sure why he was still going.  There was a not-so-small voice in the back of his head telling it wasn’t right to be spiking his friend’s food the way he was.  Even if it did seem harmless.  Even if he was curious to know what all the potions did.  Cas wasn’t exactly a guinea pig.  And it wasn’t like he volunteered or anything.  

But Dean couldn’t help but admit he’d enjoyed some of the side effects.  Five and six had been particularly enjoyable.  Even the thought of Cas artlessly flirting brought a smile to his face.  As for number six…

Dean had known for a while how he felt about Cas, even if he never really intended to act on it.  Having Cas touching him constantly? It had been both heaven and hell.  On the one hand, it was nice.  The touches were casual, but they were constant.  A brush of shoulders, a hand on the small of his back, an arm wrapped around his waist; they were all constant reminders that Cas was there with him.  That he had chosen to stay this time.  Dean had cherished that.  

It was hell because he didn’t feel free to return the gestures.  He knew Cas was under the influence.  He wouldn’t use that to his advantage, no matter how much he wanted to.  That was the potion that had probably made him feel the worst, even as he’d enjoyed it the most.  Even now, he longed to feel Cas touching him again, but despite what he’d put on the label, he didn’t want the touch without the knowing intent.  

So there was no small amount of guilt involved when he sprinkled some of the potion into the strawberry pie in front of him.  Since Sam was allergic to strawberries, Dean was sure he didn’t have to worry about his brother sneaking a slice.

“Dean.  What did you just put into that pie?”

Dean jumped and nearly dropped the container before turning to face his brother.  

“Just a little extra flavoring,” Dean said, trying to go for nonchalant.  

Sam just raised one eyebrow.  “Why do I think that’s not exactly vanilla extract?”  

“Because you’re jealous you can’t eat strawberry pie?”

“Uh huh, just like all the other food you’ve made just for Cas this week that just happen to be things I can’t or won’t eat.  What are you up to Dean? Don’t think I haven’t noticed Cas acting stranger than normal lately.”

“Nothing much, I swear!” Dean protested.  “I found some ambiguous ingredients in the pantry, I wanted to check them out and see if they were good additions - you know secret recipe material.”

The bitchface Sam shot him was nothing short of epic, even for his brother.  “You mean, you’ve been mixing unknown ingredients into food and feeding them to Cas?  What made you think this was a good idea?”

“Hey! I had some too!” Which was true - he had eaten some of the first potion in the lasagna.  “Besides, aside from some personality quirks, they’ve all been harmless.  And Cas really seems to like my cooking more when I use them!”  That much was true at least.  Cas had been far more willing to try Dean’s cooking in the past week, not complaining once about the breakdown of each flavor.  

“I’m guessing you haven’t told Cas any of this have you?”

Dean could feel the tops of his ears going red before he retorted, “Wouldn’t exactly be a secret ingredient then would it?”

Sam threw his hands in the air in exasperation and turned in a circle before pinning Dean with a glare.  “Fine.  But if this does anything to him, you’d better tell him tonight, or I will.”

“Fine,” Dean said with a glare of his own.

“Fine,” Sam repeated before stomping out.  

Dean put the pie in the oven and ignoring the increasingly noisy voice in his head that sounded an awful lot like his conscience.  

 

* * *

 

 

As with everything else Dean had made that week, Cas immediately dug in as though he might never get food again.  He quickly finished two slices of pie before setting it aside and staring Dean down.  

“Dean, this pie is very good.”  

Dean beamed, “Thanks, man.  Glad you liked it.”  

“I liked it very much, Dean.  I would like to request that you only make it for me though.”

Dean was a little taken aback, but he just snorted and said, “No worries.  You and Sammy are the only ones I really have left to cook for and Sammy’s allergic to strawberries.”  

The way Cas’s eyes narrowed when Dean mentioned Sam’s allergy made Dean a little wary, but he brushed the feeling aside.  

Cas watched Dean wherever he went that day.  It wasn’t like with the second potion though, where Cas just seemed to want Dean’s attention and enjoy his company; this felt...possessive.  It made him more than a little uncomfortable and he found himself looking for an excuse to escape.

“Hey, I’m going to run to the store and get a few things for dinner.  I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Dean.”

The sound of Cas’s voice drew Dean up short.  The register was even lower than normal and it sounded _angry_.

“Cas?” Dean asked, turning slowly to face his friend.

“I don’t want you leaving, Dean.  I won’t let you.”

Dean felt the first flash of fear.  This wasn’t his Cas.  Not the Cas he knew now.  The look on his friend’s face was strikingly reminiscent to one of the few times he’d ever been truly afraid of the angel.  This was God Cas.  

“Uh, Cas? Buddy, you feeling ok?” he asked cautiously.  “It’s just the store…”

The words were barely out of his mouth before Castiel had slammed him back against the wall and pressed his lips hard against Dean’s, tongue probing, already seeking entrance.

A hundred emotions flooded through Dean.  Shock, followed by pleasure and a fleeting, _thank God, finally!_ , to a sudden realization that this was wrong.  This wasn’t Cas.  This was something he’d done to Cas.  

As much as he wanted to continue wherever this train was headed, it wasn’t okay.  Not with Cas not in his right mind.  So Dean shoved his friend backwards.  

_“Stop,_ Cas, wait,” he said, gasping.  

“No, Dean.  You’re mine.  Mine and no one else’s.  Don’t you dare push me away.”

Cas stepped towards Dean again, but an enormous hand on his shoulder pulled him up short.  

Fury flashed in Castiel’s eyes as he looked over his shoulder at Sam.  Dean felt welling urgency to tell his brother to get out of the room.  Right now, he truly believed Cas was dangerous.  The way he was acting was nothing short of obsessive.  

“Cas, stop, man.  This isn’t you.”

“Get out, Sam,” Castiel growled.

“No, Cas, look, I know you aren’t feeling like yourself, and I’m not going to stand by and watch you two hurt each other again.”

Sam looked at Dean then, glowering.  “Are you going to tell him, or should I?”

Under the weight of Sam’s accusatory look and his own guilt, Dean slumped against the wall and dropped his eyes, not wanting to see Cas’s reaction when he told him the truth.

“Cas, Sam is right.  This isn’t you.  This is my fault.  I’ve been spiking your food all week.  I found some ingredients in the pantry and just wanted to see how they’d work in my cooking.  Before I knew it, it got a little out of hand.”

Cas dropped his aggressive posture immediately and tilted his head to the side, a small frown on his forehead. “I know,” he said simply.

“What?” both brothers asked simultaneously.  

Cas sighed and actually rolled his eyes - something he’d only recently picked up and used rarely.  “You seem to forget that I can taste every molecule.  That means I can also identify every molecule in the food.  The first night I was caught unaware.  As a result, the potion reacted more strongly with my Grace than I anticipated.  After that though, I was able to sense the presence of the potions before eating.”

“Wait,” Sam gave Cas a confused look, “if you knew the food was spiked, why did you eat it?”

“Once I knew what to watch for, I was able to greatly temper the effects before they reacted with my Grace.  Unless I’m mistaken, which I highly doubt, you’ve been using the nine Ai Potions, correct?”

Dean nodded, “I didn’t know what they were, though.  And I swear the first two at least I had no idea they would do anything at all.”  

For the first time, Castiel looked surprised.  “You didn’t?  I assumed…”

He trailed off and for the first time, looked embarrassed.  

“What are these potions, exactly?” Sam asked.

“They’re very ancient Chinese potions,” Cas said, casting a nervous glance at Dean.  “Ai is the Chinese word for...love.”  

Dean’s jaw dropped open and he stammered to respond as he felt himself flush bright red.  Both of Sam’s eyebrows shot straight to his hairline.

“I’m sorry, Dean.  I thought you knew the purpose of the potions.  Once I was able to detect which one it was, I was able to - simulate - the effects on my own without actually being impaired.”  

“Wait, wait, so, what exactly are the nine potions then?”

“The first is appetite.  Depending on how it’s presented, the appetite can be steered in various directions.  Since Dean put it in lasagna, I found myself craving the whole dish.  The second, is harder to describe, but I believe the colloquial term for it is ‘puppy love.’  The third is infatuation, the fourth is romantic love, the fifth is love of wit, the sixth tactile, the seventh results in jealousy, the eighth is obsessive love. The ninth is the one that is most spoken of through human history and often sought after.  It produces the most accurate approximation of true love, although _true_ love is a gift from my Father to humans and can never be alchemically created by the hand of man.”

“ _Love Potion Number Nine_? Seriously? We’ve got _the_ Love Potion Number Nine in our pantry?”

“Dean, I don’t understand that reference.”

Sam shot Dean a glare and looked at Cas again.  

“If you knew Dean was drugging you, why did you go along with it?”

Cas looked embarrassed again and let his gaze wander everywhere in the room

except to the two brothers.

“I assumed Dean knew they were love potions and was using them to express a desire he couldn’t yet put to words.  I used your laptop for some research, Sam.  I thought these were all attempts to engage in what the internet refers to as ‘kinks.’”  

Dean wanted to drop through a hole in the floor.  The sad thing was, for most of the potions, Cas wasn’t too far off.  

Sam just looked like he wanted to scrub his ears out with bleach.  

“Uh, Sam, could you give us a minute? Alone?” Dean asked his brother pointedly.  This conversation no longer needed to involve all three of them.  

“Sure, yeah, I, uh, I have some stuff that I need to take care of in the library.”

To Dean’s relief, Sam backed out of the room and practically fled in the opposite direction.  

Cas looked at Dean.  “I’m sorry.  I’m afraid I misread this situation, Dean.  I apologize if I’ve made you uncomfortable.”

Dean felt horrified that Cas even _thought_ he needed to apologize. “Dude, I basically roofied you for a week with love potions.  Why the hell are you apologizing?”

Suddenly something Cas had said struck him.  “Wait, so you you knew the whole time right?”

Cas nodded.

“And you said you were able to counteract the effects with your Grace.  You were just acting out what those effects would be, right?”

Another nod.

“Ok,” now for the big question, “so does that mean you _wanted_ to act on those effects?  Or did you just do it because you thought that’s what _I_ wanted?”

Castiel looked Dean straight in the eye, “Dean, I have fallen for you, died for you, and stayed for you.  What do you think?”

Dean tamped down the hope threatening to burst through him like an explosion.  “I need you to actually say it, Cas.”

“Yes.  I acted of my own free will.  I have wanted this for a long time Dean.  More so since I lost my Grace to Metatron and finally felt as a human feels.  I am yours, Dean, even if you don’t choose to be mine.”

Dean couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face as he stepped forward to claim his angel in a kiss.  

Who needed love potion number nine?  The first eight were enough for him.


End file.
